What Might Have Been
by deliasbabe
Summary: One shots set in "The Thing About Timing" Universe. What would have happened if Cordelia had kept Elliott.
1. Chapter 1: What Might Have Been

**Author's Note: I FINALLY GOT IT DONE! This took forever but it's really cute. Send me requests of what you would like to see!**

"Elliott?" Cordelia yelled down the stairs of the academy, pausing after to listen for her 2-year old's incessant giggles, a tell-tale sign that she had decided to play an impromptu game of hide and seek. The older witch blamed her mother for teaching her the game. Cordelia had made the mistake of letting her babysit the child _once_ and that was Fiona's way of getting the girl out of her hair, telling her to go hide then leaving her until the younger witch returned, then finally finding her.

Truthfully the game was a lot easier to play in their studio apartment, there were only so many places the girl could hide, but in the academy the possibilities were endless. The new teacher had never expected to come back to the academy, at least not in this capacity. But, since Cordelia was jobless and newly single, she decided to take Myrtle up on her offer to teach some of the classes, at least until she figured out what she was going to do with her life. Luckily the girls wouldn't be returning to the school for a few weeks, so the witch had time for her and Elliott to settle in while Myrtle was on a council trip, one Fiona was unsurprisingly not attending.

"Elle? Come out love." Cordelia tried again, moving through the living room slowly. It wasn't like Cordelia had left the napping toddler alone for all that long, she was gone for maybe ten minutes. But Elliott was a particularly difficult child to keep track of, especially since she started walking. Maybe it was universe's payback for her being so easy as a baby. She hardly ever cried, she mostly slept through the night, and she was always happy and giggling, which Cordelia appreciated while she was still in classes. Now, she was naturally curious, and always seemed to keep Cordelia on her toes, somehow always getting into trouble.

"Elliott, this isn't funny." Cordelia said sternly, trying to use her best mom voice. It was especially difficult for the witch to be angry with her daughter, even when she probably deserved it. Cordelia had been warned about the terrible two's, the endless tantrums and tears, but Elliott seemed to skip that all together. She hardly ever cried, except when she was hurt or scared. She was polite and kind and caring and everything Cordelia had hoped she would be, her only downfall being her inability to sit still.

Cordelia strolled through the living room and into the kitchen, once again listening for her daughter's signature giggles, but all she was met with was silence. She looked under the tables and chairs quickly before turning her attention to the cabinets, noticing the slightly ajar back door out of her peripheral vision, causing a deep panic to settle into her bones. _I forgot to lock the door._ She quickly abandoned the idea of searching the cabinets and ran outside, frantically whipping her head around in search of her daughter. _She couldn't have gotten very far._ Elliott may have been hard to keep still, but she was also easily distracted, Cordelia's one saving grace. She had gotten out of her sight outside only once before, when they were at the park, only for Cordelia to find her 15 minutes later sitting on the grass and blowing on dandelions in the outfield of the school's baseball diamond next door.

But here, they were a little too close to the road for Cordelia's comfort, not to mention the forest behind them and the multitude of neighbors they had that Cordelia had yet to meet. She quickly scanned the tree line until her eyes landed on the greenhouse, the door she had definitely closed when she walked around earlier with Elliott now wide open. She moved quickly towards it, making sure to look behind her to scan the road for any immediate signs of her daughter, then let out a sigh of relief when she heard the young girl mindlessly humming to the tune of an NSYNC song she was obsessed with. "Elliott Foxx!" Cordelia said sternly, walking in the doorway with her arms crossed, spotting her daughter standing on a table next to some plants, her expression shifting from anger to confusion as her daughter looked at her and smiled widely, "How did you get up there?"

Elliott just smiled and giggled at her and the mother's angry demeanor quickly dissolved, she never could stay mad at her for long. "Mama, look!" Elliott giggled as she jumped up and down, completely oblivious to the fact that her mother was angry, teetering a little too close to the edge of the table for Cordelia's comfort.

"Sit on your bottom, love." Cordelia said, soft but stern, walking over to the table as she calmed her racing heart. Elliott immediately complied, dropping onto her butt as the whole table wobbled from the force, startling Cordelia at first but then making her laugh lightly, leaning forward to drop a kiss into her daughter's slightly curly blonde hair, "Now, what are we looking at?"

Elliott grinned up at her mother briefly, making Cordelia's heart melt, before crawling over closer to the plants, pointing at one that was newly blossomed, "Pretty."

Cordelia smiled softly, "Yes, very pretty." Elliott giggled, a sound that had quickly become one of Cordelia's favorite sounds in the world, then reached quickly to grab one of the flowers. "Careful, baby."

"Gentle." Elliott whispered, looking back at her mother and nodding before softly touching the petals while Cordelia marveled over her daughter. It was amazing how much she was changing every single day. When she was first born she looked exactly like Hank, however as she got older, the more she resembled Cordelia, especially her big, round eyes, although hers were an icy blue as opposed to Cordelia's warm brown ones. She really was a beautiful child, although Cordelia did have to say she was a little biased. She was tiny for her age, so tiny doctors were initially concerned, but Cordelia was also rather small when she was a child, and her big personality more than made up for it. Small but mighty, as Mel would say, and she was mighty.

Cordelia was drawn out of her musings by Elliott looking back at her, her eyebrows creased with curiosity, her head cocked to the side as she thought of how to ask the question. "Name?" She asked softly, making Cordelia smile. This had become a habit between the two of them, Elliott asking Cordelia questions as if her mother knew the answer to everything in the world.

"Peony." Cordelia said simply, Elliott nodding as if she actually understood and repeating her mother's words, butchering them in the cutest way possible, then starting to hum that song again. Cordelia took a moment to take in the place she was once so fond of, a wave of nostalgia washing over her as she walked around. It was less than a decade ago she was out here with Myrtle, learning about all the plants her true mother was so fond of, and now there she was with her own daughter, a sort of full circle event.

"Mama?" Elliott asked, turning to face Cordelia, the only person she would ever refer to by name. It used to drive Hank nuts, she would never refer to him as "Dad" or "Daddy" or really anything at all, she barely would even speak to him, which only added to the fights he and Cordelia would get into. Elliott and Hank had never really bonded, at least not in the same way Cordelia and her had. Cordelia tried to blame it on the fact he was hardly ever around, always on some work trip or hanging out with his friends, but in truth Elliott just didn't like him, she had shown it from an early age. Once the two had officially split, they tried their best to co-parent, but Elliott would always cry whenever he was alone with her, and whenever they were all together all they did was fight, so eventually he just stopped showing up. It upset Cordelia more than it did Elliott. She didn't even notice he was gone; her world just went on.

"Hmm?" Cordelia hummed, turning to face her daughter and smiling at her, getting a wide smile back. Elliott was always smiling when she was around Cordelia, something everyone had noticed.

"What this?" Elliott said, picking up a glass flask and holding it shakily in her tiny hands.

"That is not for you to touch." Cordelia said teasingly, walking over and grabbing it from her daughter's hands, making her frown a bit. Cordelia quickly set the flask down just out of her daughter's reach and tapped her nose, making her frowning face break out into giggles. "Just trying to keep you safe, bug." She said softly, smiling at her child and getting a smile in return, "We use that to make potions, but it isn't for you to play with."

Elliott nodded slightly then glanced around, bouncing up and down as she looked for something else to play with. "We need to talk though love, you can't leave the house and go outside when I'm not with you, not even here." Cordelia said, her daughter staring back at her with her head cocked to the side.

"Why?" Elliott asked, her favorite question as of late.

"Because it isn't safe, baby. You're too little to be wandering around on your own. You could get hurt or get lost. I need to know where you are, bug. I can't lose you, you really scared me." Cordelia said softly, her daughter's eyes going wide before hanging her head.

"I sorry mama. Won't do it." Elliott said quietly, Cordelia trying to keep the smile off her face at her daughter's fumbling words.

"It's ok, just don't do it again. Alright?" Cordelia said, her daughter nodding, still with her head down. "Oh, come here." She said, picking Elliott up and pulling her into a hug, the young girl wrapping her arms around her mother's neck and crossing her legs at the small of her back, "I love you, baby. More than anything. You know that right?"

Elliott nodded into her neck as Cordelia kissed her head, "Love you, Mama." She quickly picked her head up and looked around, suddenly wiggling in her mother's arms. "Book!" She said loudly, making Cordelia turn around and stare at the books on the shelf.

"You want to read?" Cordelia asked, Elliott nodding rapidly, "Ok, let's go inside and we'll get your books."

"No, stay!" Elliott insisted, pointing to the books once again, "Book!"

Cordelia smiled and rolled her eyes as she set her child back down on the table, her stubborn streak showing once again. Once her mind was made up about something she didn't stop until she got her way. Cordelia could distract her, temporarily that was, but the mother knew if she didn't let her look at the books now she would just find a way to get to them later. It was easier to indulge her daughter's curious mind, even if she really couldn't understand the books anyways. She stared at the familiar texts, remembering the contents of each one before she set her sights on an encyclopedia of plants, at least that one included pictures. She grabbed the book and turned back to her daughter, who had once again stood up on the table and was toddling back towards the plants on the other side, the table wobbling with every step. "Elliott," Cordelia said sternly, causing her daughter to look back at her with wide eyes, "What did I say?" Elliott cocked her head to the side, a confused look overtaking her features. She always was a very expressive child, which Cordelia appreciated since her communication skills were sometimes lacking. "On your butt, love." Cordelia said, walking over to the girl and picking her up, then setting her down so she was sitting, opening the book beside her. Elliott focused immediately on the book, leaning towards it on her hands, Cordelia smiling down at her.

It was rare to have something capture Elliott's attention completely, at least not for long periods of time. She never really liked tv or cartoons, Cordelia tried to sit her down in the mornings so she could get some work done, but she would sit there a total of five minutes before she was looking for her mother once again. Her toys were hit and miss, some days she would play with them for hours, most times she couldn't be bothered, especially when she was playing alone. But books were the one thing Cordelia could count on to keep her child entertained, she would look at books all day if she could, even when Cordelia wasn't reading them to her.

Elliott flipped through the pages and looked over the pictures, occasionally looking up at her mother and pointing to one, waiting for the older witch to tell her what it was, then giggling after. While the young girl "read", Cordelia went to work on watering and taking care of the plants, pruning the ones that were a bit overgrown. After a few minutes the witch noticed Elliott had shifted her position, sitting up and staring at her mother while she worked, completely mesmerized.

After a few moments of Elliott's intense gaze, Cordelia glanced up at her child and pulled a funny face, making Elliott break out in giggles. Cordelia never was one to like being the center of attention, she had always shied away from people's stares and really any kind of attention at all, except when it came to her daughter. Elliott loved Cordelia, more than anything, and it showed when she stared at her mother like she was the center of the universe, like she was _magic_. No one looked at Cordelia the way Elliott did, and Cordelia loved it. It was the two of them against the world, always.

As hard as being a single parent was, Cordelia found she actually enjoyed it, definitely a lot more than she enjoyed parenting with Hank. Delia didn't want to share Elliott, not with anyone. Eventually the day would come when Cordelia found someone else, and maybe then she would be more open to sharing, but not now. Right now she got all the cuddles, all the laughs and kisses, everything, and she lived for it. The older woman had gone so long feeling like she was worthless, like she didn't matter, but Elliott had been her blessing in disguise. Suddenly she mattered to someone, and that was more than enough for her.

"What are you looking at?" Cordelia playfully said to her daughter, causing the girl to grin wildly, which just made Cordelia smile and kiss her forehead, laughing into her hair. Elliott looked up at her lovingly, her eyes wide and adoring, before Cordelia went back to her work, smiling when her daughter started humming once again.

After a few moments Cordelia heard, "Mama?" looking over to see her daughter looking behind her mother, her head cocked to the side, "Music?"

Cordelia turned around, spotting the boom box on the bench, laughing a little and nodding to her daughter, then walking over and switching the machine on, tuning it until she found a station with a strong signal. Elliott loved music, it didn't matter what kind it was. She always was singing and dancing along, even when she didn't know what the words were. She bounced up and down on her butt before standing on the table, swaying back and forth as Cordelia ran to grab her. "No, no, little one." She said, picking up the girl, "If you want to dance you're going to do it on the floor. This isn't _Coyote Ugly_." Cordelia set the girl on the floor and smiled as she twirled and bopped along to the beat, although it was actually very off beat.

"Dance mama!" Elliott said while giggling, Cordelia just shaking her head.

"I think I'll leave that to you, bug." She responded, staring at the girl a little longer before refocusing on her work.

A half hour passed and Elliott was still dancing, showing no signs of slowing down, despite missing her afternoon nap. "Mama, look" Elliott giggled, twirling as her mother looked on, knocking herself off balance and right into the table behind her, sending a pot falling, which Cordelia magically shifted the direction of so it didn't fall on the young girl.

"Baby," Cordelia said, running towards the girl on the ground and kneeling, "Are you ok? Did it get you?" Elliott shook her head slightly, staring at the floor. Cordelia gently grabbed the girls face and forced her to look up to make sure she was ok, seeing her daughter's pouty lip and terrified eyes, barely keeping her tears from spilling over. Elliott hated crying. She did everything she could not to, even when she probably should, which was a drastic difference from Cordelia, who was practically a walking water fountain. Elliott reached for her with her tiny arms and the witch quickly scooped her up, settling the girl on her hip as she ran her free hand up and down the girls back soothingly, kissing her head. "It's ok… you're ok." She soothed, rocking back and forth slightly.

Once Elliott was slightly less shaken up, Cordelia tried to finish the tasks she had started, still holding onto the girl. It was difficult only working with one hand, but Cordelia didn't mind, she loved having her daughter so close to her, the girls head on her shoulder just watching her. She felt the young girls body start to relax, the arms wound around her neck loosening their grip, and when she finally finished she glanced down to see Elliott fast asleep. Really, she wasn't surprised. Elliott only ever really slept when she was either in her mother's arms or lying right next to her, which is why nap time had become increasingly difficult. When Cordelia was in school it was easy to sit on the bed next to her and work, but now she had an office she had to work in, and Elliott wasn't adjusting well to that.

Cordelia smiled at the girl then slowly wandered inside, moving around the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "I see you've settled in well." She heard a familiar voice say behind her, making her jump before she whipped around, coming face to face with her mother.

"How the hell did you get in here?" She said, barely hiding her distain.

"Front door was unlocked." Fiona said with a smirk.

"No, it wasn't." Cordelia shot back, throwing her mother a searing glare.

"Every door is unlocked when you're the supreme." Fiona said, smiling.

"What are you doing here mother?" Cordelia asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in Italy or something?"

"Thought you could use the company. It's quiet around here, don't you think?" Fiona said, eyeing her daughter as she struggled to fill her glass, "You could put her down you know."

"If I put her down she'll wake up and you know that." Cordelia spat back.

"Ah, I see. So holding her is easier than dealing with her. Maybe you are a lot like me after all." Fiona said with a smirk, watching her daughter tense at the comment.

"No, she missed her nap earlier. She needs the sleep." Cordelia said, "Now are you here for a reason or just to bug me?"

"Do I need a reason to visit with my daughter and granddaughter?" Fiona said with a smirk as Cordelia rolled her eyes, "I came to see Myrtle, but it looks like she isn't here. Pitty."

"You know she isn't here, she's at a council meeting. One you are _supposed _to be at. You know you actually have a _job_, right?" Cordelia said.

"I'll go when there's actually something important for me to deal with. They don't want me there anyways. We all know dear Myrtle _loves_ taking on roles that aren't hers." Fiona said condescendingly.

"More like taking on ones _you've _neglected." Cordelia spat back, Fiona rolling her eyes.

"Are you going to invite me in or are you just going to leave a guest standing in your kitchen?" Fiona said.

"You aren't a guest." Cordelia said, but moved to the living room regardless, Elliott still asleep on her lap. Fiona smiled at the girl briefly, they had always had a strange relationship. Fiona acted like she didn't like the child or really care for her at all, yet her visits had been more frequent since Elliott was born, showing up at random times seemingly without reason, much to Cordelia's dismay. "How did you even know I was here?"

"Your life isn't as big of a mystery to me as you think it is, Delia. I am still the head of this coven, whether you like it or not. I know what goes on. I mean, what else were you going to do? You have an English degree for Christ's sake. You might as well have skipped college all together. Would have saved you time and money." Fiona snarked, making Cordelia roll her eyes.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you. Where is your new husband? Andrew, is it? Sorry, it's hard to keep track." Cordelia said sarcastically, Fiona dismissing her with a wave.

"Oh, he's gone. Good riddance, he was driving me mad." She said, lighting up a cigarette.

"What do you mean gone?" Cordelia asked suspiciously. Fiona had a habit of marrying wealthy men, only for them to disappear a few months later without a trace, leaving all their money to her, of course.

Fiona smirked, "Does it matter?"

Cordelia felt Elliott start to stir in her lap, obviously disturbed from her nap by the noise, and Delia ran her hand up and down the girls back, willing her to sleep for even a few more minutes. It seemed to work, the girl just leaned back into her mother, which made Cordelia smile down at her briefly, before remembering she was having a conversation with her mother, which brought a scowl once again. "Where is Hank?" Fiona asked, eyeing the young girl.

"Gone." Cordelia snapped, throwing her mother a glare. She hadn't told her they split up, or really anything about her life, but it was bound to come up eventually.

"What do you mean gone?" Fiona snarked.

"Does it matter?" Cordelia said condescendingly, Fiona shooting her a look, "I mean he's gone. We broke up." Fiona smiled and let out a laugh, "Don't look so pleased."

"Is he completely gone or will I still see him at birthday parties and Christmas?" Fiona asked.

"You don't even come to birthday parties or Christmas. I don't think we've actually spent one holiday together." Cordelia said, tired of the conversation.

"You didn't answer the question." Fiona stated.

"You never answer any of mine." Cordelia said, "He's gone, mother. What do you want me to say? That you were right?"

"You didn't have to tell me I was right, I already knew. He was a snake; you are better off without him." Fiona said, Cordelia rolling her eyes once again. "I told you that you should have given her up for adoption. Avoided this whole mess."

"And I'm glad I didn't, regardless of how it turned out. I don't need him." Cordelia spat.

"She would have had a family." Fiona argued.

"She _has_ a family." Cordelia said vehemently.

"She has a working, _single_ mother. That isn't a family. That's a disaster waiting to happen. You should have known better, since you despise me so much." Fiona said.

"She will be fine. Believe me, your marital status and job wasn't what made me hate you." Cordelia argued, "You weren't there. I will be, there's a difference."

Cordelia felt the girl in her arms shift once again, looking down to see two blue eyes slowly open. She ran her hand up and down Elliott's back and the girl rubbed the sleep from her eyes, looking around until she spotted Fiona, then leaning back into her mother. "Look who decided to join the party." Fiona said, eyeing the girl, "Sleep well, princess?"

Elliott cocked her head to the side, not understanding the question, before looking up at her mother, who just held her tighter. She sat quietly for a moment while the two women continued to bicker, not about her of course, they never did that in front of her, but about everything else. Eventually, she started to wriggle out of her mother's grasp and off the couch, standing on her shaky legs and looking between the two women for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed, before she made her way up the stairs. "Where is she going?" Fiona asked, Cordelia shaking her head.

"I don't know." She said, keeping her eyes on the stairs for a few lingering moments, "She'll be fine."

The two tried to keep the conversation calm, but that only lasted for a few moments before they were practically at each other's throats once again. They rarely shouted at each other, their fights always took on a more passive aggressive tone, and that day was no exception. They bickered until they heard little footsteps on the stairs, turning to look at the small girl as she wobbled her way down slowly, her arms full of stuffed animals, which caused Cordelia to smile.

Once Elliott got to the bottom of the stairs she dropped the heap of animals in her arms, staring at the women for a few moments before searching through the pile, pulling out her favorite two, a bunny that she slept with, and a dragon. She waddled over and stared at the women again, confused by the silence, before shaking her head and wandering over to Cordelia, handing her the stuffed bunny. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the woman, the bunny was the stuffed animal she always reached for when she was upset, and she was very in tune with Cordelia's emotions. The older woman smiled and thanked her, getting a shy smile back, before the girl wandered over to Fiona and handed her the dragon, which just made Cordelia laugh. "What? I get one too?" Fiona asked, smirking at the girl, "Why are you laughing?"

"Because she thinks you are a fire breathing dragon, mother." Cordelia said, Fiona rolling her eyes.

"Good. At least she knows who's in charge." She said sarcastically.

Later, Cordelia was giving Elliott a bath after her mother had made her exit, Elliott splashing around the tub as Cordelia watched, smiling softly at her child. "Mama, look!" Elliott laughed. "Bubbles!" she said, holding out a handful before blowing them back into the water, giggling. Bath time had always been sacred to Cordelia, she hadn't missed one since Elliott was born. Hank never wanted to do it, he always had more important things to do, so really it fell on Cordelia or the babysitter. Cordelia never had the babysitter do it, if it was bath night the woman's friends all knew she wouldn't go out, so they didn't even bother to ask.

It was the most serene part of the witch's day, watching her daughter splash and play, not bothering to care about the heaps of water she spilled onto the tile floor. It was pure, and Cordelia knew she had to savor every moment she had right now. Elliott was growing up right before her eyes, it was like just yesterday she was an infant. Soon she would be a teenager and not want anything to do with Cordelia, much like Cordelia wanted nothing to do with her own mother. It was strange to think one day it wouldn't just be Cordelia and Elliott anymore, that their world would ever be bigger than just the two of them.

Eventually, Cordelia saw her daughter's eyes start to droop, a sign she was ready to get out and go to bed. She wrapped the girl in her yellow ducky towel, pulling the hood of it over Elliott's head as she picked the girl up and held her close, Elliott resting her tired head on Cordelia's shoulder as the woman dropped a kiss into her wet hair. The two headed into the witch's bedroom and put a fresh diaper on the small girl, knowing if she tried to put pajamas on the girl she would just take them off, she really hated sleeping in clothes. Really, it was Cordelia's fault in the first place. Elliott never slept in clothes when she was a baby, as a way to limit the cost when she was broke and still in school. Once she was in a better position financially she tried to get Elliott used to it, but all it really resulted in was a fussy toddler and sleepless nights, so eventually she just scrapped the idea all together.

Cordelia headed downstairs to the living room, turning on the tv just as she heard a knock on the door, a look of confusion crossing her features. She wasn't expecting anyone, and she briefly groaned at the idea that her mother had returned for a second round. Still, the grabbed a diaper clad Elliott and walked to the front door, swinging it open to see her best friend Mel standing there with wine bottles in both of her hands. "I thought you were in Paris?" Cordelia said, surprised but still pleased. It had been months since she had seen the talented witch.

"Eh, it was lame so I headed back early. Myrtle told me you were coming back to the coven so _of course _I had to check in and make sure you haven't lost your damn mind." Mel teased. "Aw, look at the little angel." She cooed, Cordelia smiling at her daughter as she ran a hand down her back, "She's gotten so big! Jesus I can never leave for that long again, my goddaughter is a whole new person."

"The last time you saw her she was barely walking, now I can't keep up with her." Cordelia joked, inviting the other witch inside.

"This place still looks the exact fucking same. God, will Myrtle ever redecorate?" Mel teased, "And _you _look as hot as ever. How the fuck are you still single?"

"It's a choice." Cordelia snickered, "And even if it wasn't, I don't know many guys in their 20's who would want to have to work their dating life around a 2-year-old's schedule."

"Delia, please. She's a literal angel, and she's fucking adorable. Take her to Paris, they love MILF's, and you definitely are one." Mel said, shaking her head as she poured a glass of red, then white for Cordelia.

"I am not." Cordelia said, blushing. Mel had always been very blunt and borderline crude, which was the exact opposite of Cordelia. They had been roommates at the school, and as different as they were they had always gotten along impeccably, much to everyone's surprise. Mel was a free spirit, never staying in one place for too long, never getting serious with anyone, it just wasn't her. "You came at the perfect time," Cordelia said, "My mother showed up earlier."

"Of course she did." Mel said, rolling her eyes, "And I'm assuming she gave you loads of shit."

"I had to tell her about Hank, so a load of shit would be a drastic understatement." Cordelia said, taking a sip of wine as Elliott reached for the glass, "No, love. You can't have this."

"Let her have some, she can party with us." Mel teased, Cordelia throwing her a look.

"I'm not giving my toddler wine, Mel." She said seriously.

"Why not? My mom gave me wine and I turned out just fine." Mel said defensively.

"Mel, your mother was an alcoholic." Cordelia shot back, "And I wouldn't say you turned out _just fine_. Last time I talked to you, you had hooked up with over a dozen men in the week you had been in France."

"Men and women." Mel said lazily, shooting Cordelia a smirk, "And you say that like it's a bad thing. One of us has to get laid."

"So where are you off to next?" Cordelia asked, knowing Mel never stayed around for long, "Germany?"

"California." Mel said, Cordelia looking shocked.

"You're staying in this country this time?" Cordelia asked, "Why?"

"I'm staying long term, or at least as long as I can stand it." Mel said, "I got into grad school at UCLA."

"Why there?" Cordelia asked, knowing Mel was looking at schools abroad.

"That's the one that would take me." Mel said with a chuckle.

"No really, why?" Cordelia asked, knowing Mel would have gotten into a hundred different schools.

Mel threw her a look, "You know why."

"Mel," Cordelia said seriously, "I thought you were done with him."

"I was." Mel said, "Until he told me he left his wife. I can go to school there and have everything paid for. Not to mention the house is to die for."

"So he's paying for you to be with him?" Cordelia said, stunned, "Mel, he's 30 years older than you. He has kids who are literally older than you."

"It's not that serious. He just needs me to look hot for his work events. Other than that, I can do as I please." Mel said, "Now would you hand over my goddaughter? I haven't seen her in MONTHS."

Cordelia glanced down at Elliott, who was sitting quietly on her lap and taking everything in with wide eyes. "Do you want to go see Aunt Mel?" She asked, setting the girl down and motioning toward the woman, "Go on, you love Aunt Mel." Elliott looked hesitantly at her mother, who just motioned again, before she slowly toddled over to the other woman, who quickly scooped her up and tickled her sides, making the girl laugh. "Don't rile her up again. I still need her to sleep tonight." Cordelia warned.

"Come on, little squirt can stay up with us. Right?" Mel asked, Elliott biting her lip and nodding furiously. She didn't actually understand the question, but she did know enough to nod when appropriate. Cordelia smiled as Mel went to take a sip of wine, Elliott once again reaching for the glass. "Not today little chicken." Mel said, shifting the glass out of the girl's reach, "I don't need your mother killing me."

"That's my fault." Cordelia said, "I let her share with me all the time. She thinks she can do it to everyone."

"She can because she's so cute. She can have anything she wants." Mel said, smiling at the girl.

"Don't tell her that. I already have my hands full." Cordelia said.

"How is she doing?" Mel asked, Cordelia smiling softly.

"She's great. She's a big fan of books, not so much anything else." Cordelia said with a chuckle, "She's a little behind in her speech still, she just doesn't really like talking."

"She's more of a thinker. That isn't a bad thing." Mel said, "She's tiny for her age."

"She is." Cordelia said, nodding, "The doctor isn't worried, everything else is normal. She just won't grow."

"And I can see she still isn't potty trained." Mel joked.

"That would require her to stop running around, which she isn't a fan of." Cordelia joked back.

"She's all about convenience." Mel teased, "Have you heard from him?"

Cordelia shook her head, "I stopped trying. I let him know we moved in case he wants to see her, but I doubt he'll show up." Mel nodded sympathetically, "I just don't get it. He was the one who pushed so hard for this. He wanted this, and then he just disappeared."

"Well, it's one thing to say it in theory, it's another when she's actually here. He just couldn't handle it." Mel said, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Cordelia said, "I'm handling it, at least as best as I can. Fiona showed up basically just to remind me how much of a failure I am, which only got worse when I told her he was gone because _she deserves to have two parents._"

"Fuck Fiona." Mel said brashly, making Cordelia smile, "She was a shitty parent, she doesn't know anything. You gave up your whole life for that little girl, which is more than she ever did. Elliott is going to know that."

"I don't want her to know that." Cordelia said, "I want her to know I cared, but I don't want her to ever feel guilty for the choices I made. That's on me."

"I'm not saying she's going to be reminded _daily_, Delia. I'm saying when she grows up she's going to know you gave it everything you had." Mel explained, "She's a smart kid."

Elliott shifted and removed herself from Mel's lap, walking back across the room and holding her arms up to her mother, who quickly picked her up and sat the girl facing her chest, Elliott relaxing into her as Cordelia ran her hand soothingly on her back. "She's tired." Cordelia said softly, dropping a kiss into her hair.

"Why don't you go put her down? I'll be here." Mel offered, Cordelia shaking her head.

"She won't sleep unless I'm right there." Cordelia said, Mel throwing her a doubtful look, "I'm not kidding. If I put her down she will walk right back out her and crawl onto my lap."

Mel smiled softly, "Because you're her home. She knows she's safe as long as you are around."


	2. Chapter 2: 13 going on 30 (pt 1)

"Mama!" Elliott called out, searching for her mother after returning from school, dropping her backpack near the front door.

"In here!" Cordelia called back, stirring a pan of melted butter on the stove, then moving back to the counter to pound away at some raw chicken breasts.

Elliott walked to the doorframe, staring at her mother for a moment before cocking her head to the side, throwing the older woman a knowing look, "Everything ok?" While Elliott loved her mother deeply, she knew she wasn't much of a cook. In fact, the only time she cooked was when she was stressed.

Cordelia glanced up, setting the mallet down next to her, "Why wouldn't it be ok?"

Elliott shot her mother a look, "You're cooking…you don't cook."

Cordelia feigned offense, her mouth dropping open, "I cook."

Elliott let out a laugh as she walked into the room and sat at the counter, giving her mother a knowing smirk, "You only cook when your mother is in town or the girls get into it, so which is it?" Cordelia threw her daughter a look as she heard the distinct sound of heels on the wooden staircase, Fiona sauntering into the room, "Well I guess that answers that question."

Fiona eyed the girl, pursing her lips as she looked Elliott over, "You've gotten taller."

"I haven't grown in two years." Elliott shot back, Cordelia letting out a laugh as Fiona smirked.

"Ah yes, you really are a teenager now, aren't you?" Fiona said, lighting up a cigarette as she moved towards the table and sat down, "I missed it when you were a mousey thing who wouldn't talk."

"Well I miss when my mother wasn't pretending to be Martha Stewart, but here we are." Elliott said sarcastically as Cordelia rolled her eyes. While Elliott had picked up Cordelia's kindness and book smarts, her sarcastic nature leaned towards Fiona's side, something the older woman relished in. When Fiona wasn't around, Elliott's sass mostly was contained to lighthearted jokes and one liners, but when the supreme deigned to show up Elliott immediately went on Cordelia's defense, her words having more bite to them. If anyone else spoke to Fiona the way Elliott did, Cordelia knew her mother wouldn't hesitate to put them in their place, but Elliott and Fiona's relationship had always been peculiar. The two of them together always put Cordelia on edge, waiting for the moment Fiona finally snapped, but she never did, if anything she encouraged the behavior.

"You're too smart for your own good." Fiona sneered, "Now, have your powers come in yet, or are you a late bloomer like your mother?"

"Fiona, don't." Cordelia said sternly, "Leave her alone."

"Delia, she's 13 god damn years old. She should have them by now." Fiona said, waving her hand dismissively, "Ignore your mother, come sit."

Elliott rolled her eyes but moved over to the table, she knew better than to ignore Fiona's request, she had seen girls thrown across the room for not meeting the supreme's demands. "What do you want to know?" She asked.

"Why you are still in public school and not training at the coven." Fiona said.

"You need powers to train here, _grandma_." Elliott said, knowing Fiona hated when she called her that.

"Witches powers grow in times of crisis. If yours haven't appeared yet than your mother must be coddling you too much, not that I'm surprised." Fiona sneered as the front door opened.

"Who's that?" Elliott asked, turning to her mother.

"Oh! It's your dad." Cordelia said, smiling at the girl.

"I thought he wouldn't be home until next week?" Elliott asked, trying to hide her distain behind a convincing smile.

"We wanted to surprise you." Cordelia said, smiling as Hank walked in the room, Elliott turning her back to him.

"Hey baby." Hank said tiredly, walking in and kissing Cordelia on the cheek, then glancing over at the table, "Hey Ellie."

"Hey." Elliott said, not even bothering to turn around.

"Fiona." Hank all but sneered, Fiona smirking back at him.

"Hank." Fiona said, "You still hoping your construction failure takes off?"

Elliott rolled her eyes and put her head in her hands as the bickering began, Cordelia picking up the metal mallet and whacking the chicken again, this time as hard as she could, obviously trying to distract herself and drown everything out but the metal clangs. After about five minutes of Cordelia's continuous whacks Elliott finally let out a sigh and stood, walking behind the counter and grabbing the metal hammer out of her mother's grasp, throwing Cordelia a look before she kissed the woman's cheek and walked away. The disturbance was enough to stop the incessant argument, Fiona watching the girl carefully as she sat back down. "Are we bothering you?" Fiona said, smirking.

"Yea, and if you don't knock it off I'll beat you with this." Elliott said, swinging the mallet for emphasis.

"How was school, Ellie?" Hank said, trying to change the subject.

"Fine." Elliott said, taking an interest in her phone.

"You do anything fun?" Cordelia asked, hoping Elliott could distract everyone long enough to not have another fight break out.

"Not really. There's a new kid, David. He's a grade above me. He doesn't talk much but he seems nice enough, so I let him sit with me at lunch. Did I mention kids are psychotic and weird? No one else would talk to him today, he was just like by himself _all day_." Elliott said.

"Was there a reason for it?" Cordelia asked, curious.

"Well yea, but a stupid one. He's a foster kid, so apparently that's equivalent to having the plague or something. The kids at school won't even _talk_ to you unless you are dressed in Aeropostale from head to toe. It's disgusting." Elliott ranted, "Elenor wouldn't even sit with me when I invited him, something about her image. She just started talking to this basketball guy, Parker, and she's like _obsessed_ with him liking her, like that matters."

"Ah, she's looking to be a trophy wife early." Hank laughed, "Smart girl."

"Please." Elliott said, "The only thing that kid is ever going to be is stupid. He got kicked out of every private school in the area because he couldn't go a day without causing some kind of trouble. The only reason he's not in juvie is because his daddy is best friends with the DA."

"Boys will be boys." Hank said, Cordelia throwing him a look, "What? They will. I got kicked out of private school and I turned out just fine."

"I wouldn't say that." Fiona sneered, Elliott doing her best to hide her smirk.

"Oh," Cordelia said, glancing down at her half-finished dinner and back at the clock, "I forgot I have to call that girls parents."

"The new student?" Elliott asked, Cordelia nodding.

"They're in California and I forgot about the time difference, I was supposed to call them before 4, their time." Cordelia said, obviously frazzled, "I got distracted."

"Go call them." Elliott said, standing up, "I can finish this."

"Are you sure?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes mama, I'm sure. One of us can actually cook and it's not you." Elliott teased, her mother ruffling her hair before walking to her office.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook." Hank stated, Elliott barely even glancing up at him.

"I do it all the time." She said.

"Oh, guess I'm just not around that much." Hank responded, Elliott just continuing on with her work, "Your grades ok?"

"Yea." Elliott said, Fiona just sitting quietly and taking in the interaction.

"Got a boyfriend yet?" Hank tried again, Elliott shaking her head.

"Not interested, just like I wasn't when you asked me two weeks ago." She said bluntly, Hank finally giving up and mumbling something about needing to unpack before heading upstairs, Fiona laughing once he was out of earshot, "What?"

Fiona smirked at the girl, "You hate him."

Elliott glanced up, the answer written on her face, "He makes her happy."

"But you hate him." Fiona said, letting out a puff of smoke, "Smart girl."

"You really think I would tell _you_ if I hated him? I don't need to give you any more ammo. I'm already going to have to clean up your mess when you leave." Elliott said, shaking her head, "Which is when, by the way?"

"Well you've always been your mother's guard dog, even though she won't admit it." Fiona scoffed, "What makes you think I'm leaving?"

"You never stay long enough to have any kind of actual responsibility. So when are you leaving?" Elliott shot back.

"Tonight." Fiona said, smirking, "You know they're trying to have another baby, right?"

"I know." Elliott said, taking the cooked chicken out of the pan and turning off the stove.

"And if they do have another child then you'll be stuck with _him_ for the rest of your life." Fiona said, obviously trying to start something with the young girl.

"It didn't work out that way last time, at least until recently." Elliott said, "What exactly are you trying to accomplish here? You really think another baby is going to change anything? I'm already his kid."

"But he's not your father." Fiona retorted, Elliott silently agreeing with her, "That's what I thought. You've always been that way, even when you were a baby. He was never your father, but Cordelia was always your mother."

"That hasn't changed." Elliott said, "And it never will."

"Not even when they have their replacement child?" Fiona asked, Elliott rolling her eyes, "They're only having this baby because Hank wants a do over."

"Which he's going to screw up just like he screwed up the last time." Elliott said, choosing to level with the woman, if nothing else than to give her what she wanted from the beginning so she would shut up, "You really think he's going to stick around when he gets a second kid that doesn't like him?"

"You don't trust him." Fiona stated, Elliott throwing her a look.

"Do you?" She said, Fiona nodding approvingly.

"Cordelia underestimates you." Fiona said, "Does she even know you at all?"

"She knows me." Elliott shot back.

"No, she pushed you away with Hank, just like I pushed her away. My how the tables have turned." Fiona cackled.

"You really want to equate you killing off your husbands with her marrying one crappy dude?" Elliott said sarcastically.

"Don't pass judgements dear. You'll be getting a rather large trust fund from my dead husbands." Fiona said, ashing her cigarette and pulling out another.

"Oh please, like you'll ever die." Elliott said sarcastically as the woman smirked back at her, "I don't want your blood money."

"Elliott, you're a smart girl, but you are also incredibly naïve. There is good in this world and there's bad, and let me tell you, the bad always wins." Fiona said, "You either accept it, or you die."

Later, Cordelia was out working in the greenhouse, trying her best to avoid her mother, which didn't work out very well when the current supreme came walking in. "Where's Hank?" She asked as Cordelia let out a groan.

"He went to grab drinks with his friends." Cordelia said, knowing it was only going to lead to another one of her mother's digs, and she physically braced for the impact.

"Ah, so some things don't change." Fiona sneered, Cordelia rolling her eyes.

"What can I do for you, mother?" She asked, trying to just get the whole thing over with so she could return to her peaceful evening.

"Well you could start by figuring out your own daughter's powers." Fiona said, Cordelia whipping around.

"They'll come in when they're ready. I don't need you making her feel bad over something she can't control." Cordelia shot back.

"She already has them, she has to. She's the granddaughter of the supreme for Christ's sake." Fiona fired back.

"You know as well as I do that it doesn't affect every generation; she might never have them." Cordelia responded, shaking her head.

"She has them." Fiona said.

"If she had them I would know." Cordelia shot back, tired of Fiona's antics.

"Oh please, you don't even know who she is anymore, you're so wrapped up in that snake of a husband." Fiona snarled, "The worst thing you ever did was let him back into your lives."

"Mother, me and Elliott are fine, so don't even try it." Cordelia bit back, "And Elliott loves Hank."

"To your face." Fiona said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cordelia said loudly. Fiona always did know exactly what buttons to push.

Fiona let out a sinister laugh, "She hates him. You really can't see it, can you?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes, "She does not _hate _him, Fiona. I would know."

"Delia, please. She won't call him dad; she won't even call him anything. She only talks to him when you are around, as soon as you leave it's one word answers at _best_. She can barely tolerate him, and she certainly doesn't _love _him." Fiona said, lighting a cigarette.

"Did you come here just to try and screw up my life?" Cordelia said vehemently, Fiona laughing.

"Oh my dear, you are doing a fine job of that yourself. You don't know your daughter and you certainly don't know a single thing about your husband. You really let him convince you to have another baby so he can have his replacement child? It's a time bomb and everyone knows it." Fiona drawled, seemingly unbothered by the whole argument.

"It's not a replacement child, and I don't need you sticking _that _in Elliott's head." Cordelia seethed.

"I don't have to tell her what she already knows." Fiona said, "You underestimate her. You think you're protecting her when really she's protecting _you_, and you'll make her do it again when he packs up and leaves you with two children to care for on your own."

"You hate him. You've always hated him for no reason." Cordelia shot back.

"I have plenty of reasons. Last time I checked he left you alone with a toddler." Fiona said sarcastically.

"He's not the same person, he's grown up. You don't see that because you aren't around. He's changed. We don't even fight anymore, not like we used to." Cordelia said, shaking her head as she crossed her arms, "We aren't kids anymore."

"Then why are you still holding onto this idea of the perfect family?" Fiona shot back, Cordelia tensing up, "He left you alone, and once I finally started to think you had toughened up, you just let him back into your life, like it never even happened." Fiona flicked her cigarette bud to the ground, "Darling, this isn't a fairytale. You won't get your perfect little family or your happily ever after, all you'll get is pain. If you think this is going to work out than you're even weaker than I thought you were. You're hurting yourself and you're hurting your child for _nothing_, all because you can't let go."

"I'm not hurting my child." Cordelia spit, "Elliott is fine."

Fiona's hard stare softened as she dropped her head, "You know, I see her becoming who you were. You were so secretive and angry with me. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. She's a powerful witch, I can feel it, and I would hate to see her become you and cower in the shadows."

"Elliott doesn't cower." Cordelia said, Fiona looking up and nodding.

"She doesn't, but she does when it comes to you." Fiona said, righting herself before turning to walk out the door, "Open your eyes Cordelia. That girl was utterly obsessed with you. You were her whole world until you brought that rat home. Now you barely have a relationship and she's hiding away in that library just so she doesn't have to deal with all of this. She's a lot more like me than you think, she knows how this ends."

Cordelia couldn't stop the tears from flowing once her mother left the room. Why did she always make her feel like this? Cordelia was perfectly fine when she wasn't around, but the second she came swooping in all her biggest insecurities were on full display. She never had anything nice to say to Cordelia, not about the way she parented, how she ran the school, nothing. She only ever said nice things about Elliott, and even that was rare. The only reason Cordelia even let her come around is because she held onto this stupid hope that one day her mother would come back and actually do something good for the coven, but she knew that was a fantasy.

Cordelia heard light footsteps on the walkway outside, quickly drying her tears as Elliott came wandering into the greenhouse like she did every night. It had become a habit since she was a child, every night Elliott would finish up with whatever homework she had that day, and she would join her mother in the greenhouse, sitting on the table while her mother worked. It was the one thing left that was just the two of them, Elliott even going so far as to tell Hank that no boys were allowed in the greenhouse when he tried to join them one night. The memory originally made Cordelia laugh, but after everything that Fiona had said, now it just seemed tainted.

Elliott took her usual perch on the table, fiddling with a plant next to her. "Fiona left." Cordelia said quietly, Elliott letting out a laugh.

"Good." She said, "Now we can get back to our lives."

"I'm really proud of you, you know that? It takes a lot of guts to stand up for what's right. I'm sure that boy really appreciated you." Cordelia said, cupping Elliott's face gently and kissing her head.

"I mean, it's not that long ago I was like him. I mean, obviously I haven't had to deal with what he has, it's not an equal situation at all. But when I started there I wouldn't talk to anyone, and they didn't bother to try and talk to me. Going to a new school and feeling like you have no one sucks." Elliott said, shrugging.

"Yea, you were really shy." Cordelia said with a laugh.

"Oh yea, I was crazy shy, and now I won't shut up." Elliott joked, "Maybe it was better that way."

"Never." Cordelia said, smiling at her daughter as she brushed a loose curl out of her face before Fiona's words rang through her head, then dropping her gaze.

"What's wrong?" Elliott asked, picking up on her mother's subtle change. Even after all this time, Elliott could still read her like a book.

Cordelia bit her lip, not looking up to meet Elliott's gaze, "Do you think we have a broken relationship?"

"Woah," Elliott said, nudging her mother and causing the woman to look up at her, "Where is this coming from?" Cordelia just shook her head and didn't respond, so Elliott tried to think of what could have set it off. Elliott had a particular knack for being able to figure out what was said without being told. She knew it had to come from Fiona, it was always Fiona. She stared at her mother and she could picture the conversation in her mind, like it was being projected on a movie screen. Even though Elliott didn't have any powers, she liked to think that was one, since she always was right about it, usually word for word. "Fiona?" She asked, Cordelia letting out a sigh as she nodded, "You know she only says stuff to mess with you."

"I know." Cordelia said, "She said I pushed you away because of Hank."

"Mama, no." Elliott said, shaking her head, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"You love your dad, right?" Cordelia asked, obviously not dropping the situation. Fiona knew how to push all the right buttons, and it drove Elliott crazy. She knew questioning Cordelia's relationship with her daughter was the one thing that would absolutely send her into a spiral, and Elliott was always the one having to pick up the pieces when it was over.

"He makes you happy, that's all I want." Elliott said, knowing better than to directly lie to her mother.

"I know that, but that doesn't answer my question." Cordelia said, Elliott letting out a sigh.

"I don't love him in the same way I love you." Elliott said honestly, "He wasn't there, he still really isn't here. You always have been."

"You would tell me if there was a problem?" Cordelia asked, studying Elliott's face. The girl never really had a good poker face, and it was the quickest way to tell if there was something she wasn't saying.

"There's no problem. The only problem is Fiona trying to start an issue over something that doesn't exist." Elliott said seriously.

"She says I don't even know you anymore." Cordelia said quietly, staring to gather ingredients for a potion.

"Your mother only knows about herself. She doesn't know you, or me for that matter. She's delusional." Elliott said fiercely, making Cordelia chuckle before her eyes turned sad once again.

"We used to be so close…" Cordelia said softly, glancing up at Elliott.

"We still are." Elliott said seriously, "It's you and me, always. No matter what."

That seemed to satisfy the older witch, who nodded and began to move around more freely than before, grabbing a dead plant and bringing it over to the table. Elliott watched the woman carefully, confused as to why her mother was focusing on the lifeless shrub as opposed to the many other living plants that needed to be pruned and watered. Cordelia placed her hands over the plant and went still for a moment, letting out a slow breath as the crispy brown leaves suddenly turned lush and green, coming back before Elliott's very eyes. Cordelia seemed unphased, moving on to the next task as her daughter stared at her in wonder. "I didn't know you could do that." Elliott said quietly, Cordelia glancing back up at her questioningly.

"Oh, that?" She asked, motioning to the plant as Elliott nodded, "That's nothing."

"I've only ever seen your mother do that." Elliott said seriously.

"A lot of witches can do it." Cordelia said dismissively, "It's not like I can bring back people or anything."

"Have you tried?" Elliott asked, curious.

Cordelia shook her head, "No, I haven't. I'm not strong enough, it takes a pretty powerful witch."

"I think you are more powerful than you give yourself credit for." Elliott said.

Cordelia blushed at the compliment, averting her gaze as she tried to change the subject, "We have a new student coming tomorrow."

Elliott perked up, knowing how hard her mother had been searching for new witches, "That's good!"

Cordelia let out a laugh, "We'll see. From what I've gathered she's not exactly an easy girl to deal with."

"Neither was Queenie." Elliott shot back, "How many times did she threaten to kill you when she first got here?"

"Too many." Cordelia joked, "Poor Nan was going nuts."

"That's just because Queenie's thoughts are just as loud as her mouth. Your first mistake was making them room together. Nan hardly slept." Elliott replied, "She started hanging out with me all the time just because I was quiet. Then she left me alone because I was _too_ quiet and she didn't like it."

"She hasn't been able to figure you out quite yet." Cordelia said, amused.

"It's hard to read the mind of someone who doesn't think." Elliott joked, Cordelia rolling her eyes.

"You think, Elliott. Come on. You wouldn't have the grades you have if you didn't think." Cordelia said seriously.

"No I would be getting wasted and not studying like the rest of my classmates." Elliott said, "Oh, that reminds me, Elenor's birthday party is tomorrow night. Can I go?"

"I thought her birthday party was next weekend?" Cordelia asked, confused.

"That's the one her parents are throwing. This is the one Kasey is throwing because we all know Elenor's parents hate fun." Elliott joked.

Cordelia looked at the girl suspiciously, Kasey wasn't exactly Cordelia's favorite friend of Elliott's. She was the wild child whose parents weren't ever really around, and she had gotten Elliott into more trouble than the witch was really comfortable with. "Will her parents be home?" Cordelia asked, Elliott letting out a sigh.

"I don't know, maybe?" She responded, "I know someone is watching her."

"Elliott…" Cordelia said, knowing an argument was coming. The two didn't fight often, but Elliott had always been very stubborn and when they did it was a stand off, "I can't let you go to a party without an adult to supervise, not to mention you need to spend time with your dad. He isn't around very often; he wasn't supposed to come home until next week but he made it work so he could spend time with you."

"So I'm just supposed to drop everything in my life every time he shows up? I didn't even know he was supposed to be here." Elliott shot back.

"No, but we do have to make sacrifices, Elle. We all know he would much rather be here with us full time, but his priority is providing for us and that means he can't be here all the time. We have to make compromises. I already said you could go to the one next weekend, but you'll have to skip this one, ok?" Cordelia said, trying to reason with the girl.

"If he's home next week then why don't I go to this one and skip the one next weekend?" Elliott asked, "That's a compromise."

Cordelia let out a groan, "Elliott, I can't let you go to a party where there isn't supervision."

"So you don't trust me?" Elliott asked, obviously frustrated.

"It's not you I don't trust and you know that." Cordelia said sternly, "The last time I let you hang out with Kasey without supervision you came home in a police car."

"How were we supposed to know a public park _closed_?" Elliott fired back.

"I don't know, maybe the five signs that said the park closed at dusk?" Cordelia said sarcastically, Elliott rolling her eyes.

"We were just playing flashlight tag." Elliott sighed, Cordelia throwing her a look.

"And if I remember correctly Kasey and her friends were drunk." Cordelia said pointedly.

"But _I _wasn't drunk." Elliott shot back, "I can handle myself."

"I know you can, I don't doubt that. But Kasey is two years older than you and so are the rest of her friends, I don't want to risk putting you into situations you aren't emotionally ready to handle just yet. My priority has to be your safety, and I just don't feel like you would be safe at that party." Cordelia said, letting the girl know her word was final, "You can't go. I'm sorry but there will be other parties."

"Figures." Elliott muttered, letting out a frustrated sigh as she hopped off the table.

"Where are you going?" Cordelia asked, stopping the girl in her trek towards the door.

"Bed. I have a test tomorrow I have to make sure I get enough sleep." Elliott said, the slight edge in her voice almost making Cordelia laugh at her broodiness.

"And you weren't even going to say goodnight?" Cordelia teased, Elliott dramatically turning herself around to face the woman.

"Goodnight." She said unenthusiastically, Cordelia throwing her a smirk.

"You know that's not how this works." Cordelia said, "Come here." Elliott rolled her eyes and slowly made her way back towards the woman, practically stomping her feet as Cordelia opened her arms, trying her best not to laugh, knowing it would only irritate the girl further. Elliott begrudgingly stepped into her mother's hold, feeling the older witch snake her arms around her shoulders, and the young girl instinctively leaned in and rested her chin on her mother's shoulder, but refrained from lifting her arms from her sides, grasping onto anything to show her defiance. Cordelia just laughed into her daughter's unruly hair, "So how long will you be mad at me for this time?"

"Check back in 3-5 business days." Elliott snarked, trying her best to keep the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth at bay. It was hard for Elliott to stay mad at Cordelia, even when she still felt the anger panging around in the hollows of her chest. As much as Elliott hated Cordelia's helicopter parenting style, she also knew the love Cordelia had for her was a force to be reckoned with. Elliott's friends had all questioned at one point or another if their parents even liked them, let alone loved them, but Elliott hadn't ever even thought of the question, at least not when it came to Cordelia. There was no doubt in her mind that she was fiercely loved at all times, even when she did come home in a cop car.

Elliott had learned very early on that her mother wasn't like other parents, and they certainly didn't have the same relationship that other parents had with their kids. Elliott could count on two hands the amount of times Cordelia had raised her voice to the girl, and she only needed three fingers to count the times Cordelia had legitimately yelled at her, and those three times she absolutely deserved it. Elliott never got the standard "Because I said so" that other kids did, her mother never talked down to her, and if she did say no she always gave a reason behind it. The other parents regularly questioned Cordelia's parenting style, especially when Elliott was younger. The girl distinctly remembered a parent asking at a birthday party why Cordelia felt the need to justify her choices to a _child_, but Elliott's mother always operated on the firm belief that just because she was a child didn't mean she had to be talked to or treated like a child, and that still held true. The other parents wrote it off that it was because Cordelia was such a young mother, that she just didn't get it yet, but her parenting style never faltered.

Because of this, Elliott very rarely felt the need to act out or rebel, something a lot of other kids her age struggled with. Elliott knew that no matter what her mother would accept her, even when she made a few dumb choices. Cordelia never made her feel guilty for being curious about something, she knew experimenting was a normal part of growing up, and she never shied away from the more uncomfortable subjects like drinking, drugs, and sex. Cordelia always said she would rather know and have a real conversation about it than find out when it was too late. Cordelia knew that some of Elliott's friends were doing some questionable things, but she never judged the girl for wanting to have a relationship with them regardless, and the two had talked about that kind of stuff enough for the mother to know her child wasn't taking it lightly.

So despite Elliott being utterly pissed off that her mother wouldn't let her go to this party, she still gave in to her hug, wrapping her arms around the taller woman loosely as Cordelia chuckled and kissed the side of her head. "There we go." The older woman teased, making Elliott bite her lip, "I know you are mad at me, and I get it, I do, but it's just because I love you, ok?" Elliott nodded into her shoulder as Cordelia pressed another kiss to her head, "Alright, now you can go to bed."

Cordelia fully expected the girl to instantly pull away, but to her surprise Elliott stayed in her arms a few more moments, tightening her grip around the older witch's waist. The action alone pushed every Fiona-fueled doubt Cordelia had about her relationship with her daughter from her mind, and Cordelia was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia. Despite the fact that Elliott was growing up faster than Cordelia could believe, Elliott was still the same little girl who thought her mother hung the moon. She still was the six-year-old girl who crawled into her mother's bed every night despite having her own room, the same girl who cried when she was dropped off for her first day of school because she couldn't bear the idea of being away from Cordelia for more than a couple hours. Despite everything changing, the one thing that didn't was the safety Elliott felt when she was in her mother's arms, and Cordelia held her a little tighter at the thought.

Eventually, Elliott finally pulled back, staring at her mother for a few moments before saying, "I'm still mad at you."

"I figured you would be." Cordelia laughed, Elliott nodding slightly then walking towards the open door, "I love you!"

"Love you too." Elliott mumbled as she walked out, Cordelia rolling her eyes and finally letting out the chuckle she had been holding in. Elliott walked inside, passing a drunk Hank stumbling through the door and offering him a barely audible "Goodnight", then heading upstairs, passing by Nan and Queenie's open door and telling the two bickering girls to knock it off before she finally crawled into bed and turned out the light.


	3. Chapter 3: 13 going on 30 (part 2)

Elliott's test the next day was stupidly easy, but then again, everything for her was stupidly easy. Her teachers had campaigned for her to skip a grade or two when she had first started there a couple years back, but after a lot of thought Cordelia had decided against it. Elliott was already almost a full year younger than her classmates due to her late birthday, not to mention she already had a hard time adjusting to the school in the first place. When she first arrived at the school she was terrified of everyone and everything, and Cordelia didn't want to risk hurting her socially by sticking her with a bunch of much older classmates. The teachers weren't too fond of her reasoning, saying she was prioritizing her child's social life over her education, but that really wasn't the case, in fact it was the opposite. When Elliott first started at the new school her grades dropped significantly, to the point she was flunking. After a significant amount of prying from Cordelia, Elliott revealed that it was actually her anxiety that was causing the poor grades, simply because she was afraid of having the right answers and being singled out by her teachers and classmates. If Elliott had skipped a few grades, she would be a freshman in high school, and Cordelia didn't want to risk her college chances because of the adjustment, since those were the grades that actually counted.

Elliott walked home from school, walking in the front door and dropping her backpack to the side, confused by the silence in the house. Normally, Nan and Queenie would be screaming at each other by now, and she walked into the kitchen to see Cordelia standing at the counter with her fingers to her temples, obviously stressed as Queenie argued with her. "Cordelia, I'm not kidding. Do not make me room with her unless you want to find a dead bitch."

"Queenie, I don't have a choice. I can't put her with Nan and I have the utmost faith that you can control yourself." Cordelia said, obviously trying to flatter the girl to make her agree.

"What's going on?" Elliott asked, the two women glancing up at her.

"Hey short stack." Queenie said, "The new girl is a total bitch, and your mother thinks it's a great idea to stick her with me." Cordelia moved to say something, but Queenie cut her off, "I'm not doing it."

"I have to stick her with someone, at least for the time being. Half our rooms are closed for renovation right now. We just don't have the space." Cordelia argued.

"So stick her with me." Elliott said with a shrug.

"No." Cordelia said, "She's… she's a lot and you already have enough going on." The witch didn't want to air their newest student's dirty laundry, but she had a history of heavy drug and alcohol use and the headmistress really didn't want to stick her in a room with her very young, very impressionable daughter.

"Cordelia please, if anyone can handle her it's Elle. Do you know how hard it is to piss her off? The girl deals with Fiona on the reg, she can handle a Hollywood brat." Queenie argued.

Cordelia still looked doubtful, so Elliott threw her a look, "Mama, you really think sticking her with Queenie is a wise choice? Queenie almost killed Nan the other day for eating the last bagel. I, the girl with no magical ability whatsoever, had to break it up _and_ get Queenie to take the knife away from her throat."

"She's right." Queenie said, snickering about the incident.

"Just stick her with me until the rooms are done, then you can revisit the issue." Elliott said, Cordelia finally giving in and nodding.

"Fine, but this is _temporary_, got it? And when I make the final room assignments I don't want to hear a single complaint." Cordelia said sternly, Elliott shrugging as Queenie nodded.

Elliott walked upstairs to start reorganizing her space in order to accommodate the extra person, Cordelia appearing in the doorway. "Are you sure you are ok with this?" She asked, Elliott glancing up and nodding.

"Yea, I mean it makes sense. I wasn't expecting to have a room to myself forever." Elliott said, watching as her mother bit her lip, "Why are you so against this?"

"She's a lot older than you." Cordelia said, trying to think of a halfway decent excuse, "And you aren't used to sharing your room. It's an adjustment."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Elliott said, "I mean, it's only temporary, and I need to get used to sharing things anyways."

Cordelia's eyebrows creased, "Why would you need to get used to sharing things?"

_Because you are trying to have another kid_, Elliott thought, but she knew saying that out loud would just cause a conversation she really didn't want to have, so she tried to cover herself. "I mean, when I go to college I'll probably have roommates. Might as well prepare for that sooner rather than later." She said, Cordelia smirking at her.

"Yea, I guess so." The older woman said, "I should warn you though, Madison isn't exactly pleasant."

"So I've heard." Elliott joked as they heard the front door slam shut, Cordelia immediately moving towards downstairs. "Hey," Elliott said, causing the woman to look back at her, "I'm still mad at you." Cordelia threw her a smirk and nodded before disappearing down the stairs.

Elliott stayed busy with homework until dinner, walking down to see the rest of the group already eating. Hank wasn't there, but really Elliott didn't expect him to be, whenever he was home he was always out with his friends doing something. She spotted the new girl, Madison, immediately, and the girl also saw her, rolling her eyes. "I said I wasn't doing fucking autographs." She whined, Elliott throwing a questioning glance at her mother, who just rolled her eyes.

"Who are you?" Elliott asked, making the rest of the girls almost spit out their food from laughing.

"You don't know who I am?" Madison sneered, looking Elliott up and down with disgust, "I'm Madison Montgomery, movie star. Who the fuck are you?"

"Elliott Foxx, unemployed." Elliott shot back, causing another round of giggles.

"Elliott is my daughter and your new roommate." Cordelia said pointedly, Madison letting out a laugh.

"You want me to room with this little bitch? You're out of your god damn mind. I don't have _roommates_." Madison sneered.

"Well you do now princess." Elliott laughed as she sat down at the table.

"Please," Madison said, "You can't handle me. I'll have you packing your tiny bags by midnight."

"As it turns out I'm the _only _one who can handle you, so you'll just have to deal." Elliott shot back, Madison smirking back at her.

"Ah, I see. You're playing suck up to your mom. What, you trying to convince her to let you go fuck your boyfriend?" Madison sneered as Cordelia almost choked on her food.

"Oh absolutely." Elliott said, smirking as she watched the color drain from Cordelia's face. Normally she wouldn't tease her mother in that way, she knew it drove her absolutely insane, but she still was bitter that Cordelia told her no, so anything was fair game.

Madison glanced between Elliott and Cordelia before she let out a small laugh and smirked, "Well at least one of you isn't lame as shit. Looks like you're my new best friend, twerp."

"That sounds like a punishment." Elliott said seriously, Nan nodding furiously.

"Oh it is." She said, turning to Madison, "Would you be quiet? I'm trying to eat."

"I didn't say jack shit." Madison sneered, Elliott laughing.

"Nan is clairvoyant. We all drive her crazy." Elliott explained.

"The bitch can read minds?" Madison said.

Nan let out a groan, "Yes. Now could you stop thinking about that dude you fucked at the airport? It's gross."

Later, Elliott sat cross legged on her bed, diligently working on her homework as the movie star sauntered into their shared room, immediately lighting up a cigarette. "You don't mind, right?" Madison said as the teenager looked up, "Not that I really care. I just need an excuse for when your mother gets her panties in a twist."

Elliott rolled her eyes, "Her mother has been chain smoking around me for years, it's not like I'm not used to it."

"So what's your deal, do you hate her or something?" Madison asked, eyeing the girl, "You seem to get off on making her lose her shit."

Elliott let out a laugh, "No I don't hate her. She told me I couldn't go to my friend's birthday party, no supervision or whatever, so I'm in a payback kind of mood."

"She wouldn't let you go?" Madison asked, Elliott nodding, "And you're going to listen to her? Fucking sneak out."

"I'm not going to sneak out. It's not that big of a deal." Elliott fired back, shaking her head.

"Why not? It's a fucking party. Sure beats sitting here all night." Madison said, looking the girl over before she smirked, "Oh I see. You're a goody two shoes."

"No, I'm not. Just actually listen to my mother." Elliott sighed, focusing back on her homework.

"Same fucking thing. God she's made you her clone with this whole listening thing. Newsflash, you don't need to be exactly like her, you should make your own choices." Madison sneered.

"My choice is to not risk getting caught and possibly murdered by my mother, but thank you for your concern." Elliott said unenthusiastically.

"So you're scared of her." Madison shot back.

Elliott let out a sigh, glancing up from her work, "I'm not scared of her. I would just prefer her saying yes when I ask to do things, at least for the most part."

"Yea but she never says yes to any of the fun stuff anyways. This shit is a part of growing up, just like sneaking out is. She's just trying to brainwash you." Madison fired back, obviously not letting the whole thing go, "Do you ever do anything fun? Or are you always doing what she wants?" Elliott sat silent, knowing her life definitely wasn't exciting, "That's what I thought. Your mom is babying you, and she always will. She doesn't want you to grow up so she's stunting you. You just have to show her you can handle it, and she definitely isn't going to say yes anytime soon. There's a reason why the kids who cause trouble can actually handle shit as an adult. The goody two shoes are always the ones who live with their parents til they are 30."

Elliott let out a frustrated groan, wanting to end the conversation. Madison wasn't going to stop and she knew that, so she settled on a very well timed bathroom break, walking out of the room just as she spotted Hank walking out the front door, which just made her roll her eyes. Cordelia was persistent about the three of them spending time together, or at least she seemed to be, but there he was leaving again. Elliott knew enough to know that Cordelia hadn't even mentioned the idea to him, she was just looking for an excuse to not let Elliott go, and the thought made Elliott's insides spark like a match.

"Hey loser!" Madison yelled as Elliott walked back into their room, "I'm bored as shit, let's go see a movie."

"I can't. My mom really wanted me to spend time with them tonight." Elliott said, not really wanting to spend more time with the bitchy witch than she had to.

"Who's them?" Madison asked.

"My mom and her husband." Elliott said offhandedly, not thinking to choose her words more carefully.

"Oh, so not your daddy?" Madison laughed, Elliott quickly realizing her mistake and trying to backtrack.

"Oh no! It's uh, it's complicated." She said, Madison throwing her a questioning glance, "Never mind, forget I said anything. Let's go ask her."

Elliott quickly went in search for her mother, easily locating her in her office with Madison trailing behind. "Hey, uh… Madison wanted to go see a movie, is that ok?" Elliott asked, thinking her mother would shoot her down immediately, which was exactly the response she was hoping for.

Cordelia looked hesitant so Madison was quick to jump in, "You know, roommate bonding or whatever. Beats sitting here staring at each other all night."

Cordelia quickly wiped the confusion off her face, smiling and nodding, "Yea, that's fine. Just nothing inappropriate, ok?" Honestly, she was just grateful Madison seemed to be putting in effort, she thought the girl was going to be a pain in the ass.

"Don't worry, I won't let her see any dicks." Madison sneered, Cordelia throwing her a look, "Jesus, relax. We'll keep it PG-13, or is that still too much for your baby girl?"

"PG-13 is fine." Cordelia said, turning towards her daughter, "Be back by midnight, ok? You still have to be up early tomorrow."

"Uh, yea. Ok." Elliott said, confused by the woman's response. Didn't she want them to have "family bonding time"? Suddenly Elliott felt her residual anger rise up in her chest once again, catching in her throat. So it really wasn't about Hank, or spending time with him. Cordelia just really didn't trust her.

The two girls jumped into Madison's car and Elliott took an immediate interest in her phone, ignoring the rap music Madison had chosen to blare through the speakers. Madison talked throughout the entire ride, Elliott only half listening, just enough to give an "uh huh" when necessary. The ride to the movies took longer than Elliott expected, and when she finally looked up to see where the hell they were, she noticed a string of familiar houses. "Where are we going?" She asked, Madison rolling her eyes.

"We're just taking a shortcut. Relax." Madison groaned, but a few seconds later they were turning onto Kasey's street, pulling up next to her house.

"How the fuck did you figure out where it was?" Elliott exclaimed, angry at herself for being tricked so easily. She should have seen this coming.

"I jacked your phone when you went to the bathroom and got the address." Madison said with a smirk, "Now come on, we're on a time limit."

"Madison, no. No fucking way. My mother will kill us." Elliott said forcefully.

"She's never going to know. We go in, hang out for a bit, and we're back before your curfew. Jesus, even when you're given the golden ticket you still complain." Madison sneered, getting out of the car.

Madison rounded the car and opened Elliott's door. "No, I'm calling my mom." Elliott said, whipping out her phone and quickly dialing the woman's number.

Madison was quick to grab her phone and end the call. "Jesus, you need this more than I thought. That bitch has you wound up. She's never going to know, genius. Have some fun for once." Elliott didn't look convinced, "Look. I won't go crazy and get shitfaced, which is a favor I'm doing only for you. You can either go in with me or wait in the car the entire time. I'm not taking you to see some lame ass movie." Elliott threw the older witch a glare, but stepped out of the car, making sure to voice her displeasure with a grunt. "Thought so." Madison said with a snicker, "Now come on."

Elliott followed the older girl inside, her friends quickly spotting her and running up to her with a squeal, obviously already intoxicated. "Holy shit, you brought Madison Montgomery?" Kasey exclaimed, Elliott rolling her eyes but nodding.

"Yea, what the fuck do I have to do to get a drink around here?" Madison sneered, Kasey quickly running off in search of booze as Elliott threw the witch a glare, "Jesus Sabrina, relax. It's one drink. I'll meet up with you at 11:30, ok?"

Elliott rolled her eyes but nodded as the movie star disappeared into the crowd, Elliott's friends quickly tugging her over to their social circle. As she laughed with her friends, Elliott quickly felt her guilt slipping away. Cordelia was wrong, she could handle this, she knew she could. Madison was right, she was just babying her. She knew her mother was just trying to protect her, shield her away from a world that was so inherently evil, but Elliott didn't need protecting, she was more mature than her mother realized. Fiona knew that, so why didn't Cordelia?

As the time ticked by Elliott joked with her friends about the drunk boys near the pool who almost fell in, she laughed at the girls who were dressed in clothes so skimpy they might as well have been bathing suits. She cheered her friends on as they made the move to go talk to their crush or a particularly cute senior boy. She was even ecstatic for Elenor when that stupid boy finally got enough brains to ask her out. She couldn't believe she almost missed this, and she was thankful that Madison had tricked her into doing something she actually wanted to do, for once at least. She would never admit it to anyone, but sometimes living at the coven was incredibly suffocating. She loved Cordelia, god knows she did, but her mother tended to be on the overbearing side. Elliott knew it was Fiona's doing, that her absence made Cordelia feel like she had to push harder, love harder, and just do _more_. But all of Elliott's choices came down to her mother, who always played it safe. So in turn, Elliott always played it safe, and sometimes she hated it. She never experimented with anything, because she knew her mother wouldn't approve. She didn't sneak out or get in trouble or do half the things the other kids her age did. The worst thing she had ever done was hang out with some drunk kids at a park after dusk, which wasn't too terrible if you thought about it. They offered to share their alcohol with her, but Elliott respectfully declined, being called a party pooper, but the only reason she did was because of Cordelia, because she didn't want to disappoint her.

But in that moment, she really didn't care about her mother's concern. Fiona was right, Cordelia didn't really know that much about her, at least not anymore. The two were extremely close, that was until Hank came back into their lives like a damn wrecking ball. Elliott never liked him, but Cordelia could never see it. The young girl hadn't been so careful about voicing her displeasure with him when she was younger, but Cordelia didn't seem to notice, too wrapped up in him. He blinded her, he always had, and Elliott hated it. She hated how her mother would go above and beyond whenever he came home, how her voice would change octaves and how she would instantly give into his every stupid whim. She hated how he would treat Cordelia like shit and she would still treat him like he was a gift from god. She hated how since he came back they would talk less, joke less, and fight more. She knew her mother deserved better, she knew she was settling for that trash bag of a human, and she knew that Hank really didn't love Cordelia, at least not in the way he should. Elliott felt like she was screaming, and had been for six years, but Cordelia never heard her, and she definitely wasn't going to be the reason her mother was miserable, not after all she did for her.

Around 11:15 Elliott went in search of Madison, wanting to get the hell out of there in case there was some freak accident or weird traffic. She went room by room searching, walking in on more than a few couples getting it on, including Elenor, gross. Madison was nowhere to be found, and as Elliott searched she got more and more angry. It was almost 11:30, they needed to _go_. Madison was supposed to meet her, but it seemed she had totally disappeared. She sighed and headed toward the bathroom, desperately needing to pee, shoving past a group of laughing boys before she spotted the movie star passed out on the tile floor. _Shit_. She quickly shooed the boys and their camera phones away before kneeling down, shaking the girl. "Madison? Madison?" She practically yelled as she viciously shook the actress, "Can you hear me?" Madison only gave a grunt, her eyelids fluttering, and Elliott instantly knew she was absolutely trashed. The issue was, she didn't know what to do. Well, she knew what to do, she just didn't want to do it. She knew she had to though, she didn't know if Madison was just passed out or if she had alcohol poisoning, and she didn't know what to do if it was the latter. She quickly searched the movie star's pockets for her phone, pulling it out and dialing her mother's number. Sure, she was going to get in some form of trouble, but she trusted her mother, she knew it would all be ok.

"Hello?" Elliott heard her mother say from the other side.

"Mama?" Elliott said, Cordelia immediately picking up on the panic in her voice.

"Elliott? What's wrong?" The woman asked, and Elliott could already hear the woman shuffling around, probably looking for her keys.

"Madison lied to me and ended up taking me to that party you said I couldn't go to but in my defense there was technically adult supervision and yes I know it was a very dumb move but Madison got trashed and passed out in the bathroom and she's not talking and something is very wrong and I don't know what to do." Elliott rambled, coming dangerously close to bursting into tears.

"Oh my god." Cordelia groaned, but she didn't sound angry like Elliott expected, she just sounded worried. "Is she breathing?" She asked.

"Yes, I tried to get her to talk to me but she was just mumbling." Elliott answered, "She said she wasn't going to drink. She said…"

"Ok, baby, it's ok. Just calm down. You need to call an ambulance." Cordelia said, listening as her daughter hesitated, "I know you don't want to ruin anything but you have to, ok? I'll meet you at the hospital."

Elliott swallowed thickly, knowing her friends weren't going to be happy with her for ruining their party, "Ok."

"Ok. You did the right thing calling me baby, I'm proud of you. Call them then call me back, alright? I'll meet you there." Cordelia said, knowing her daughter was in an absolute panic.

"Ok." Elliott said again, her mind practically spinning.

"I love you." Cordelia said.

"I love you too. I'll call you back." Elliott said, hanging up the phone.

"Holy shit. Is she ok?" Kasey asked, wandering over to see what the commotion was about.

"No. I have to call an ambulance. You need to get everyone out of here." Elliott said forcefully, Kasey just looking at her, dazed as she nodded.

"Copy that." Kasey said, running around and telling everyone to scram as Elliott dialed 911. She quickly relayed all the information to the responders, then hung up and went to redial her mother, Kasey reappearing, looking hesitant. "I, uh, I gotta go too. Since, ya know, I'm drunk. My grandma thinks I went to bed early. You ok with sticking it out?" She asked, Elliott barely even registering the words as she nodded. She honestly didn't care what Kasey did at that point. "Ok, lock the front door behind you, alright?" Kasey said as she moved toward the door, "Love ya!"

Elliott immediately called Cordelia, the woman picking up on only the third ring, "Are they on their way?"

"Yea." Elliott said, "They told me to roll her over on her side in case she pukes."

"How much did she drink?" Cordelia asked.

"I don't know. She left me and said she would meet me later." Elliott said, mentally kicking herself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"Ok, Elle. I need you to try and get her to throw up. Can you do that for me?" Cordelia asked carefully, like talking to a small child.

"How? Like sticking my fingers down her throat?" Elliott asked, her brain only half processing what her mother was asking her to do.

"Yes, exactly that. Can you do it?" Cordelia asked again.

Elliott was quiet for a moment, judging the distance between where the girl laid and the toilet. Madison was tiny, but she still was much bigger than Elliott. "I can try." She said, obviously unsure of herself. This was a lot to ask of her, more than a lot, and she finally got exactly why Cordelia didn't want her to go to one of these things. She stood and grabbed the witch's arms, using all her leverage to lift her into a somewhat upright position, then dragged her over to the toilet. It was a slow process, and Cordelia could hear her struggling, but she managed to do it, quickly dropping to her knees once the movie star started to fall over, hitting the tile full force. Cordelia winced as she drove and heard her daughter whimper, desperately wishing she was there to help. Elliott trucked on, however, positioning herself behind the girl and holding her head up as she jammed her fingers down her throat, feeling the girl gag unconsciously for a few moments until she felt a warm liquid soak her fingers, then pulling them back out as the girl beneath her threw up a bit. It still didn't seem like enough, and she was about to go for a second round when she heard the sirens.

"Is that them?" Cordelia asked, Elliott nodding before realizing it wasn't a visual conversation.

"Uh, yea. I think so." Elliott said, letting out a deep breath in an attempt to fight off tears.

"Alright, go help them and I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can, ok? I love you." Cordelia said before hanging up, Elliott setting Madison back down on her side before running to meet the paramedics.

They got Madison loaded in the ambulance and learned what information they could from the girl before they were on their trek to the hospital, passing by Cordelia's car as they went. Elliott took a seat and waited for her mother to arrive, wanting nothing more than for the woman to hold her. She screwed up, and she knew she did, but she still knew her mother would make everything better, she always did.

Elliott immediately stood as soon as she spotted her mother, quickly walking towards her before she saw an incredibly pissed off Hank follow behind the woman, freezing up as her face dropped. She didn't want him here; he wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be out with his friends. Cordelia spotted her and opened her arms, wanting nothing more than to comfort her obviously distressed daughter, but stopped once Hank started screaming.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" He yelled, "Don't lie to us, Elliott. Don't even try to say that girl forced you. You knew exactly what you were doing, you knew you weren't allowed to go."

"Hank…" Cordelia said, obviously shocked.

"No, Delia, I'm not going to calm down. She disobeyed us, disobeyed _you_, and she's trying to cover it up. She's a liar. I know you aren't stupid, Elliott." Hank continued to scream as Elliott tensed up, "Not only did you get that girl sent to the hospital, you ruined _our_ evening."

"Hank, _stop_." Cordelia said forcefully, "That's not our biggest concern right now. We can deal with that _later_."

Hank let out a frustrated grunt before he angrily flopped on a waiting chair, crossing his arms. Cordelia stared at him, but only for a moment before she refocused on Elliott, who by this point was on the verge of tears. "Are you ok, baby?" Cordelia asked gently, Elliott shaking her head before practically falling into her mother's open arms and crying. "Shh, it's ok. You did everything right, ok?"

"Not everything." Hank said vehemently, reminding Elliott of a moody teenage brat.

"_Hank_." Cordelia scolded briefly, before her tone softened again as she refocused on her upset daughter. "Hey, look at me." She said gently as she pulled Elliott away from her, looking into her red rimmed eyes, "You did everything right. I'm proud of you, ok? It's going to be alright." Elliott nodded slightly before beginning to cry again, Cordelia pulling her back into her arms and cradling her head as she pressed a gentle kiss into her hair.

Elliott clung to her mother as they waited for an update, not that Cordelia minded. She knew her daughter was scared, that was the only time Elliott ever sought comfort from her mother. She was always independent; some would say _too_ independent. When she was mad or upset she usually just wanted to be left alone, not wanting her mother's touch to send her into a crying fit. To this day, Elliott hated to cry. She only cried when her own emotions were too much for her to handle, when she couldn't condense them down into rational thought. But that night, the tears seemed to be freely flowing, which was all Cordelia needed to know that reprimanding the girl wasn't the best course of action, at least not at the moment.

Hank was still sulking when the doctors finally deigned to give an update, even though it was hours later. As it turned out, the superstar had lived up to her reputation, consuming enough alcohol to warrant getting her stomach pumped and giving her a bad case of alcohol poisoning. Cordelia let out a sigh, turning to Hank and Elliott. "I have to stay, but you two should head home." She said softly, the late hour working its way into her obviously tired voice.

Elliott's eyes widened as she quickly flicked her gaze over to Hank, she really didn't want to leave with him. "I want to stay with you." She said quietly as Hank threw her a death glare.

"Baby, you have practice tomorrow morning." Cordelia said, trying to reason with the girl.

"I'll go tired." Elliott said, Hank letting out a sinister laugh.

"No, you don't get a choice here. Your mother said go." Hank bit, startling both Elliott and Cordelia, "We're leaving, let's go."

Elliott threw Cordelia a pleading look, silently begging the woman to not make her go with _him_. Cordelia quickly flicked her gaze back and forth between her husband and her daughter. She knew Elliott wanted to stay with her, but with the look Hank was giving her, she knew if she defied him it would just lead to a fight she didn't want to have, so with a sigh she said, "Just go home, baby. You need to get some sleep. I'll be home as soon as I can."

Elliott's face hardened, once again, her mother was utterly blind. Cordelia threw her a slightly apologetic look and moved to hug her, but Elliott shifted away, quickly standing and turning her back to her. Sure, it was a bratty thing to do, but she really didn't care. Cordelia chose Hank, _again_, when she knew damn well he was just going to scream at Elliott on the way home. There was no way she couldn't know. But Cordelia hated to fight, and it was a lot easier to fight with Elliott than it was to fight with Hank, he knew exactly what to say to Cordelia to absolutely wreck her, and he used it to his advantage. Elliott stalked toward the door as Hank and Cordelia whispered back and forth briefly before Hank pressed a kiss to her cheek, turning to his daughter and throwing her yet another glare.

Elliott tried to tune out Hank's screams on the way home. He wasn't exactly the type who wanted a response from her, he just wanted to yell. She wasn't even sure he paused to take a breath, he just kept screaming, and Elliott vaguely registered the word _stupid_ leaving his lips about a dozen times before they were even halfway home. She tried to just ignore it, knowing whatever she said would only blow back on her mother. Hank knew his words had no effect on Elliott, she was immune to his "put you in your place" bullshit, but Cordelia wasn't.

She managed to refocus on his never ending rant as they pulled in the driveway, which proved to be her downfall. "Not everything is about you all the time and you need to realize that. I get that your mother absolutely babies you and thinks you're a perfect little angel, but I know better. You're a fucking brat." Hank spewed with as much venom as he could muster, "Me and your mother were finally getting to spend some quality time and you had to fucking ruin it like you always do."

Elliott let out a laugh as she threw the car door open, "Oh so I get it. You aren't mad that I went to the party, you're mad that I called and you didn't get laid. Good to know."

As Elliott went to step out of the car Hank lurched toward her and grabbed her wrist so hard she could feel her joints straining against the pressure, letting out a surprised yelp. "You, little bitch, need to learn your place." Hank said lowly as Elliott tried to twist her wrist free, "You're just like your grandmother. All bark and no bite."

"Get the fuck off of me!" She practically yelled, Hank finally letting her go with a smug grin on his face. Elliott stormed upstairs to her room, throwing herself dramatically on the bed as she rubbed at her wrist, trying her best to get the remnants of his fingers to leave her nerve endings. She _hated_ him, loathed him with every fiber of her being. This wasn't the first time Hank had gotten slightly physical with her, he had done it once before when she was a child. He called it "spanking", but the welts on her back begged to differ, and Cordelia was furious when she saw them. It was the only time Elliott had truly seen her mother lose her shit, and it was almost enough to break up her parent's brand new marriage. But when Hank wandered back a few weeks later with his tail between his legs, Cordelia gave him a second chance, or maybe a third chance, Elliott wasn't really counting, and it was never spoken of again.

The next morning, Elliott woke up to the sound of Cordelia and Hank faintly arguing in their room, right next to hers. It was obvious Cordelia was trying to keep her voice down, but Hank wasn't really having it. "If you didn't go so fucking easy on her this never would have happened. She doesn't respect you and she knows you'll let her get away with anything." Hank spit as Elliott rolled her eyes.

"Hank, come on. She does respect me. This was wildly out of character for her. I don't even think she had a say in the matter. Madison has a history; one she wasn't aware of." Cordelia said, trying to calm the man down.

"No, Delia, she doesn't respect you. She knows you won't actually punish her. She's not afraid of you." Hank bit harshly.

"I don't want her to be afraid of me. The only reason she called was because she isn't afraid of me." Cordelia said, trying to hold firm on her position.

"She wouldn't have had to call you if she was afraid of you because this never would have happened, she never would have gone in the first place." Hank argued.

"Like I said Hank, I don't think it was really up to her. Elliott doesn't lie." Cordelia said with a sigh.

"She's not the little angel you think she is, Delia. She needs actual discipline." Hank bit.

"You don't know her." Cordelia bit back, which surprised Elliott, normally she just said what she needed to end the argument.

Hank let out a scoff, "You've always done this, even when she was a baby. You always knew her better than I did."

"Hank, don't even go there." Cordelia fumed, "That wasn't the case and you know it."

"No, it's true. You've always pitted her against me. I was always the bad guy on the outside." Hank argued, now just looking to do damage, "I mean, what kid cries around her father for no reason? You stuck it in her head that I was the enemy because you didn't want me to have a say. You wanted to run the show, and you're still doing it. You know you're just like Fiona, and so is she."

That was a low blow, the epitome of a verbal gut punch, and it was all Elliott could do to not run in there and scream at him. He knew just what to say, how to twist the knife just right. God forbid Elliott not like him because he was a shitty dad and a shitty human in general. No, it had to be Cordelia pulling the strings, just like Fiona. Elliott's mother was the complete opposite of her grandmother, the girl wasn't even sure they actually shared a bloodline. She knew her mother was choking back tears, mumbling something to effectively end the argument, and Elliott quickly tried to busy herself with getting dressed, if anything to stop her from going in there and beating the shit out of him. She wasn't much of a fighter, at least not that anyone knew about, but she certainly could hold her ground. She quickly changed into an outfit for soccer practice, before she glanced down at her exposed wrist and saw the finger shaped bruises forming there. It really was a shitty place to have something to hide, especially in New Orleans. She really didn't want to be running around in the crazy heat in a hoodie, so she settled for a light long sleeve t-shirt, at least that she could excuse with the early hour, and it wouldn't give her heatstroke.

Practice sucked, and by the time Elliott's friend dropped her back off at the coven she was coated in sweat. She quickly ran to the shower, then changed into a pair of leggings and a hoodie, crawling back into bed in hopes of getting even a little more sleep. That Idea was quickly disregarded as Elliott heard a light knock on her door, her mother swinging it open and stepping into the room. The girl let out a slight grunt as she felt her mother's weight press down on the mattress, her hands quickly moving to run through Elliott's hair. "Can we talk?" Cordelia asked softly, grazing her fingertips across Elliott's cheekbone, and the girl nodded slightly as she flung the covers off and pulled herself into a sitting position. Elliott took one quick glance at her mother's puffy eyes before setting her gaze on the sheets below her, not wanting to see the damage she had caused, all because she couldn't hold her tongue. Cordelia brushed a wet lock of hair behind Elliott's ear before grabbing the girls chin and forcing eye contact, feeling the girl squirm, "What the hell happened, Elle?"

Elliott knew that no matter what she said it wouldn't undo previous events, and she really didn't want to waste her breath explaining something that had already been deemed by her asshole father as a lie. "Doesn't really matter." She said quietly, defeated, "What's my punishment?"

"Of course it matters. This wasn't like you." Cordelia said gently before a confused look crossed her features, "Who said anything about a punishment?"

"He did." Elliott said, her face hardening, "This morning."

Cordelia's gaze dropped, "You heard that?" Elliott gave a slight nod, "How much?"

"Well it started at how I didn't respect you and I should be afraid of you." Elliott said honestly, knowing she could recount the entire argument word for word, it was burned into her brain, "I heard the rest from there."

Cordelia ducked her head, she shouldn't have been surprised, she put Elliott's room right next to hers, and the walls weren't exactly soundproof. Still, it wasn't something she wanted her daughter to hear, she knew it would just upset her. "He was just upset…" Cordelia said softly, reaching for Elliott's hand.

"When does he leave?" Elliott asked, trying to keep her words from biting.

"He already did." Cordelia said, noticing how Elliott visibly relaxed, "What happened?"

Elliott let out a sigh, "I told Madison about the party, and she tried to convince me to sneak out and just go, but I said no. I went to the bathroom and I guess she took my phone and got the address. She told me we were going to a movie, but then she drove there instead."

"Why didn't you call me when you got there?" Cordelia asked, knowing Elliott had enough sense to do it.

"I tried to, but she took my phone and kept it all night." Elliott explained.

"Why didn't you use your friends phone? You know my number by heart." Cordelia said, trying to get to the bottom of whatever it was.

"Because I was dumb." Elliott said.

"You aren't dumb, don't even say that." Cordelia said sternly.

Elliott let out a frustrated sigh, "I didn't want to be the lame kid who called their mom to pick them up. I knew I wasn't going to drink or do anything dumb, and I thought Madison had the common sense to do the same. She told me she was having one drink and that was it, and I figured I could just tell you when I got home. I wasn't going to hide it. I didn't know that Madison had a history."

Cordelia nodded, "You know this was the exact reason I didn't want you to go, right?"

"Yea I got that." Elliott said sarcastically, getting a look from her mother, "I thought I could handle it. The kids that were there were smarter, they knew if they drank that much that they would get caught, so they were careful. I didn't expect Madison to be the one I had to worry about."

Cordelia was quiet for a moment, "You did handle it."

Elliott furrowed her brow, "What?"

Cordelia stared at her daughter's perplexed face for a moment before letting out a laugh, "You did handle it. When you didn't know what to do you called me, knowing you disobeyed me and were risking getting caught. That shows real maturity on your part."

"Well, duh. I trusted you, I knew that even though I did something dumb you would help me." Elliott said, "He's right, I'm not afraid of you, but that's the only reason why Madison isn't dead right now. I knew you wouldn't rip me apart for a mistake."

"Because we're a team." Cordelia said with a soft smile, Elliott letting out a laugh.

"Yea, me and you, always." She said, catching Madison out of the corner of her eye, sauntering up to their shared room like she didn't almost die the previous night.

"Could you stop before I throw up?" Madison sneered, Cordelia's face hardening as she registered the girl's voice, whipping around to face her.

"Pack your stuff." Cordelia said harshly as she stood from the bed, "You aren't staying here anymore."

"You can't stick her with Queenie, they'll kill each other." Elliott said.

"Right now that wouldn't be a bad thing." Cordelia said sarcastically, throwing Elliott a slight smirk before returning her sights to Madison, "One of the rooms is finished being renovated, you'll stay there until I find you another girl to room with, and when I get done with this phone call I have to make, I want you in my office. Got it?"

"Aye aye captain, jesus." Madison sneered as Cordelia strolled past her, throwing the girl one last glare before heading to her office.

Madison smirked at Elliott for a moment before walking over to sit on her bed, "Aw, you mad at me? Poor baby, bet mommy ripped you a new one."

"What the fuck, Madison?" Elliott sneered, catching the girl by surprise, but it was only for a second.

"Listen, I'm not going to lie to you. I knew I wasn't staying sober last night. I kinda knew you would get in trouble, but I really didn't care, I wanted to get wasted." Madison said, giving the girl a smirk, "I didn't expect you and your mommy to be so vomit inducing after, I really thought I would fuck your shit up. I was looking forward to hearing her scream at you."

Elliott let out a snide laugh, "So you constructed this whole thing because you didn't like that me and my mom got along? What, do you have mommy issues?"

"Please, your relationship is fake as hell. It's only a matter of time until it implodes." Madison sneered, "Tell me, does your mommy know that you hate your daddy, Ellie?"

"Don't call me that." Elliott bit.

"Exactly. Don't worry, I didn't tell her. It's just fun for me to know that her life is fucked and she has no fucking idea." Madison said with a laugh, "Plus, Queenie said she would carve me up if I said anything and I'm too hot to be disfigured."

Elliott's voice got quiet, "Queenie knows?"

"Literally everyone knows but your mother. Bitch is fucking blind." Madison snickered, "Don't worry, your secrets safe with me."

"Doubt it." Elliott sneered as Cordelia reappeared in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Guess that's my cue. See ya loser." Madison said, sauntering into Cordelia's office and slouching in her seat, "What, you going to go all hardass on me? You're kind of a soft bitch, feel free to take offense."

Cordelia rolled her eyes as she sat in her chair, straightening her back to try and keep herself from ripping the blonde in two. "It is my job to watch over you and keep you out of trouble, but you are an adult and you make your own choices, I get that." Madison let out a snicker, feeling validated that the witch wouldn't do anything to her, before she heard Cordelia's words dripping with venom "I can't control everything you do. But so help me god, if you _ever _put my daughter in a situation like that again just so you can get your fix, I will personally call my mother to kill you. Believe me, Fiona Goode does have the heart for torture, especially when it comes to her granddaughter."

Madison was shocked, but she wasn't going to let Cordelia know that, choosing to instead act like she wasn't fazed, letting out a laugh, "Who's your mother?"

"The supreme." Cordelia said simply.

"And what's a supreme?" Madison snarked.

Cordelia's face broke out in a knowing smirk as Madison's dropped, "You'll find out."


End file.
